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Sonaca Montreal, a world-leading manufacturer of large aerostructures and a subsidiary of Belgium-based Sonaca Group, today inaugurated a new high-speed milling centre at its plant in Mirabel, Que.
The milling centre opened at a ceremony attended by Dominique Anglade, who is Deputy Premier of Quebec, Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, and Minister responsible for Digital Strategy. Also attending was Bernard Delvaux, chief executive officer of Sonaca Group.
This $7.5 million investment will allow Sonaca Montreal to leverage the power of an Industry 4.0 manufacturing environment and provide customers with next-generation machining of complex-shaped, large-format aerostructure products.
“This investment enables us to consolidate our leadership on the North American market for fully integrated large aerostructure manufacturing, and to accelerate our Industry 4.0 evolution,” said Sylvain Bédard, chief executive officer of Sonaca Montreal.
“It also boosts Sonaca Montreal’s industrial capacity, allowing us to produce more complex structures.”
The new milling centre, manufactured entirely in Quebec by Fives, required the addition of a further 600 square metres of floor space to Sonaca’s Mirabel facility. These transformations are part of a $22 million investment announced by the company in 2016.
Sonaca now has upgraded facilities equipped with next-generation technology, allowing it to respond more efficiently to the most exacting requirements of its customers, which include Bombardier Aerospace, Embraer, Triumph Aerostructures, MHI Canada, and Boeing.
“This kind of investment and commitment by our Montreal team helps us consolidate our leadership status in manufacturing and assembly of wing skins and other components for the international aeronautics industry,” said Delvaux. “These upgrades to the facilities at our Mirabel plant can serve as an inspiration to our teams all over the world.”
Equipment at the core of the fourth industrial revolution
Digital transformation, which is driving the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, enhances production standards, both in terms of quality and execution times.
Sonaca’s new high-speed milling centre enables radical improvements to its aerospace component manufacturing systems and processes. These upgrades rely on optimum use of digital tools, in turn accelerating Sonaca’s evolution toward a fully connected smart factory environment.
“The process automation made possible by this new milling centre allows us to manufacture parts much more quickly and with surgical precision,” said Bédard. “This technology also drives efficiency and allows for manufacturing of products of unequalled quality. These upgrades will enable us to stand apart from the competition and are a benefit to our customers.”
Investment partners
The implementation of the new milling centre was made possible thanks to the participation of public-sector partners including the Government of Quebec through its financing arm Investissement Québec, and Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), which granted a loan of $2.9 million and a refundable contribution of $1.2 million respectively.
“We are seeing transformations in all industry segments of the global economy that are requiring our companies to innovate and modernize. Sonaca Montreal is doing just that,” said Anglade. “With this new high-speed milling centre, the company is taking huge strides toward Industry 4.0 and, in so doing, playing a part in Quebec’s digital transformation, which is a key goal of the digital strategy that our government is poised to introduce.”
Navdeep Bains, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, said: “New technologies are driving modern manufacturing by lowering production costs, increasing productivity and allowing for the creation of new innovative products.
“Government of Canada initiatives like the Innovation and Skills Plan are helping shape existing markets and create new ones, in the process unlocking new opportunities for Canadian businesses. I salute companies like Sonaca for choosing to invest here at home and allowing Canada to remain a world leader in the aerospace industry.”
Investment conducive to growth and talent recruitment
The project investment announced today is in addition to others made by Sonaca at its Mirabel facilities since 2007. With the support of its public-sector partners, the plant has undergone two expansions, doubling its area and creating more than a hundred new jobs.
As it continues to seek qualified candidates to feel its needs for skilled labour, Sonaca is looking to this new technology to encourage recruitment of the best possible talents in the aerospace sector.
